Entertaining by Design - Girls and Gossip!

I recently saw a photo of this swanky living room and it reminded me of some of my favorite times...A night with the girls!

There is nothing better than having a small group of girls over and sipping on wine, chatting about the latest gossip and snacking on some fabulous finger foods!  If I were to have a girls night this week...this is what I would do...inspired by this fabulous room above! 

I would start out with an assortment of chilled white wines and champagne.  Be sure to set out your best stemware for the girls! I love Riedel glasses and love the way they feel.  My favorite glass is their original benchmark glass...the Vinum, but I am loving the shape of these Vinum Extreme glasses as well!

You must have linen cocktail napkins, which you can get locally or at Williams Sonoma or Pottery Barn.  There are so many fun choices out there that can be customizable! 

I love to serve on pretty plates.  I adore these lovely handmade tapas plates that I found on Etsy. 

For those who do not want an alcoholic drink, make a beautiful fresh raspberry lemonade by using frozen concentrate of both with sprite and pour it into pretty pitchers with raspberries and thin sliced lemons floating on the top! 

I love finger sandwiches and think these are a great option:

Tomato basil sandwiches

1 pint of cherry tomatoes

8 oz cream cheese softened

1 bunch green onions roughly chopped

1/2 teasp salt

10 fresh basil leaves  (more for garnish)

1 loaf thinly sliced white bread

1/4 teasp fresh ground black pepper

1pound bacon strips cooked and crumbled

• Cut the tomatoes in thin slices and place cut side down in a single layer on a paper towel.  In a bowl of a food processor combine the cream cheese, green onions, salt and basil and pulse. 
• Spread a small amount of the cream cheese mix on a slice of bread and cut into three fingers, crusts removed. 
• Top each piece with a layer of tomatoes and season with salt, pepper, crumbled bacon and basil leaf.. Note: I make the cream cheese mix the day before and prepare the bacon and basil early then assemble.

Salmon roulade

• Smoked salmon coated with a garlic and herb cheese mixture like alloutee's.  
• Minced red onion and capers,  salt and pepper. 
• Roll up and sprinkle with lemon zest. 

Cucumber sandwiches

• In processor blend 1 package of cream cheese with two peeled and seeded cucumbers, 1 to 2 cloves of garlic and 1/4 small sweet onion
• Add quite a bit of fresh dill and process until creamy. 
• Season with cayenne, salt and pepper.

Note: This can be made into sandwiches or spread on lovely crackers with a sprig of dill on top.

Until next time!

Sandy